Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch spoke with Pedro Gomez just three days before the longtime ESPN reporter passed away unexpectedly at the age of 58.
Hinch issued a statement Monday in tribute to Gomez, who he called “a part of our baseball family.”
Gomez joined ESPN as a Phoenix-based reporter in 2003 after being a sports columnist and national baseball writer at The Arizona Republic since 1997.
He also worked for the Sacramento Bee, San Jose Mercury News, The Miami Herald, San Diego Union and The Miami News. He was a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and was a Baseball Hall of Fame voter.
Gomez spent part of his childhood in Detroit, and grew up a Tigers’ fan listening to Ernie Harwell.
No cause of death was given.
Hinch’s statement released by the Tigers is below.
“A one-of-a-kind part of our baseball family was lost with the passing of Pedro Gomez. It hit me hard yesterday, just as it has for so many who crossed paths with Pedey. Whether it was a professional conversation about the game or more likely a personal exchange about our families, I always felt that Pedro was in my corner. I will miss our talks, his perspective on life, and his unwavering belief in connection. I’m forever thankful he called me on Thursday to tell stories of Tigers baseball, the art of managing and his happiness for my new beginning. RIP, hermano.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
